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C.H.U.D. (1984 film)
C.H.U.D. is a 1984 American horror film produced by Andrew Bonime, and directed by Douglas Cheek with Peter Stein as the director of photography and William Bilowit as production designer. The cast includes Daniel Stern and John Heard and features an early appearance by John Goodman as a police officer. It was followed in 1989 by C.H.U.D. II: Bud the C.H.U.D. C.H.U.D. is an acronym for "Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dweller". However, the alternate acronym "Contamination Hazard Urban Disposal" was mentioned in the film. Plot A bizarre series of murders in New York City seems to point toward the existence of a race of mutant cannibals living under the streets. Cast *John Heard as George Cooper *Daniel Stern as A.J. "The Reverend" Shepherd *Christopher Curry as Captain Bosch *Kim Greist as Lauren Daniels *J.C. Quinn as Murphy *Michael O'Hare as Fuller *Peter Michael Goetz as Gramps *Sam McMurray as Officer Crespi *Frankie R. Faison as Sgt. Parker *John Goodman as Diner cop *Jay Thomas as Diner cop *Hallie Foote as Waitress *Jon Polito as Newscaster *George Martin as Wilson Release The film was given a limited release theatrically by New World Pictures beginning in August 1984. It grossed $4,654,423 at the domestic box office. The film has been released twice by Anchor Bay Entertainment in 2001 and 2008 and then released by Image Entertainment in 2011. Although the film is of a "pulp" genre and is widely panned by critics, it did receive some good reviews including a positive assessment from The New York Times. It won Best Fantasy Film at Brussels International Festival of Fantasy Film in 1985. It is now considered a cult classic. On April 1, 2011, The Criterion Collection announced plans to release special edition Blu-ray and DVD versions of the film in July 2011 with all new special features, but it was actually part of an April Fool's prank perpetrated by the company. Reception The film was poorly received by critics, garnering 18% positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. However, the film received a few notable positive reviews, and today has achieved a cult status. Controversy According to the commentary on the Anchor Bay DVD, stars Daniel Stern and Christopher Curry were displeased with Parnell Hall's rewritten script, and rewrote it extensively, adding the character of The Reverend and the alternate C.H.U.D. acronym. They claim that about 50% of the finished film is their rewrite and chose to remain uncredited. The claim of authorship of the alternate C.H.U.D. acronym is disputed by the film's producer, Andrew Bonime, who credits screenwriter Parnell Hall. Taglines *Ugly. Slobbering. Ferocious. Carnivorous. *They're not staying down there, anymore! *You Won't Want To Know What It Means. *A recent article in a New York newspaper reported that there were large colonies of people living under the city... The paper was incorrect. What is living under the city is not human. C.H.U.D. is under the city. Trivia *Film debut of Jay Thomas. *Laure Mattos, the movie's first on-screen victim, is the real-life wife of co-star Daniel Stern. *This film features a total of 3 actors who would later go on to play roles in the Home Alone series. *In 2011, as an April Fool's Day joke, the Criterion Collection, the USA's most prestigious distributor of home video, announced that it was releasing a special-edition DVD and Blu-ray Disc of the film with spine number 573. It was later assigned to Jalsaghar (1958). Trailer Category:Films Category:1984 films Category:English-language films Category:American horror films Category:Independent films Category:Films set in New York Category:Monster movies Category:Zombies Category:New world pictures Category:1980s